Stopper

ABSTRACT

A stopper which can be used with a vacuum flash, and includes a head portion, a depending bung portion defining a sealing surface, and a ring portion co-axial with the bung and being spaced therefrom and attached thereto by a plurality of radially extending limbs. The ring portion is provided with a screw thread such that it may be supported in the neck of a flask in at least two axially spaced positions with respect to the flask one of which is a sealing position and another of which is a position in which liquid may be poured from the flask passing between the bung portion and the ring portion.

1451 May 7,1974

[ STOPPER' [75] Inventor: Sigvard Ek, Jonkoping, Sweden [73] Assignee: Aktiebolaget Jonkopings Vacuumindustri, Jonkoping, Sweden 22 Filed: Apr. 21, 1972 21 App]. No.: 246,407

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 10, 1971 Sweden 6041/71 52] US. Cl 215/13 R, 215/79, 222/519 [51] Int. Cl B6511 47/32 [58] Field ofSearch ..215/12 A, 13 R, 13 A, 73, 215/77, 79;,222/131, 485, 489,519, 520, 552

1,645,954 10/1927 Keizer 215/13 R UX 3,110,408 11/1963 Bramming.... 215/13 3,070,250 12/1962 Bramming 215/13 A 3,351,249 11/1967 Stull 222/520 Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Spencer & Kaye [57] ABSTRACT A stopper which can be used with a vacuum flash. and includes a head portion, a depending bung portion defining a sealing surface, and a ring-portion co-axial with the bung and being spaced therefrom and attached thereto by a plurality of radially extending limbs. The ring portion is provided with a screw thread such that it may be supported in the neck of a flask in at least two axially spaced positions with respect to the flask one of which is a sealing position and another of which is a position in which liquid may be poured from the flask passingbetween the bung portion and the ring portion.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures The present invention relates to a stopper for vessels and is especially suitable for use with jacketted vacuum flasks. Closure stoppers are already known wherein it is not necessary to remove the closure stopper entirely in order'to dispense the liquid contents; rather is it sufficient to raise the stopper by a specified amount so as to form a pouring gap between the stopper and the neck, of the vessel, and simultaneously allow air to flow into the vessel to facilitate pouring.

According to the present invention there is provided a closure stopper for a container, such stopper having a hung portion defining a'sealing surface, and means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of a container, the axially opposite sides of said locating means being communicated with one another by at least one passage.

The invention also provides a combination of a vacuum flask with such a stopper.

Preferably the guiding of the stopper'in a jacket neck, is accomplished by providing an external screw thread on a ring portion to co-operate'with an internal thread on a jacket of the flask. The threads may'suitably be moulded into the neck of a jacket and onto the ring portion, such that when the stopper is being screwed.

down its sealing surface descends-and comes to adhere to a co-operable sealing surface within the neck of the flask. When the sealing surfaces are slightly separated a pouring gap is opened therebetween.

Advantageously the radially inner face of the ring portion is chamfered at eitheror both axial extremities of the ring portion.

So that the liquid should not rush out when the vessel is sharply tilted during pouring it. is further advantageous to mould or otherwise attach the bung portion'to a head of the stopper by a portion with'a concaveoutward facing surface.

In order to prevent exce'ssive tightening'of the seal it may further be of advantage to mould onto the stopper and in front of its sealing surface a support surface which applies itself against a projection on the jacket neck. The stopper cannot be tightened farther than up to contact with the support surface.

In order that the invention may more readily be un- Into head 9 is embedded a cover plate 10 which is supported by rim 8. Cross-bars 11 which are equiangularly distributed around cylindrical portion 6 radiate therefrom and carry a ring body 12, which has a thread 13 moulded on its outer surface and is advantageously formed with chamfered edges to its radially inner surface 14. The cross-bars 1 1, which may be resilient, may also advantageously be chamfered on one or both sides. Passages 15 are formed between the cylindrical portion 6, the cross-bars 11 and the internal surface of the ring body 12.

The closure stopper of FIGS. 1 and 2 is particularly suitable for use with vacuum flasks as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The flask comprises a conventional sealed twin-walled vacuum container 16 braced at its base by a sleeve 17 of resilient material, e.g., rubber, against a base plate 18 made as one piece with the cylinder 19. The member 19 is threadedly connected to the jacket 20 surrounding the container 16. The threaded engagement should preferably form a liquid-tight seal. As best seen in FIG. 4, the upper end of the jacket 20 is provided with an inwardly directed flange 21 under which engages a flange 22 on an outer neck portion 23. The

upper portion 24 of the neck portion extends into a cylindrical portion 25' internally provided with a thread '26 co-operable with the thread 13 on the ring body 12 of the neck 29 is of slightly conical configuration to coway of example, with reference to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of stoper according to the invention, in longitudinal section;

FIG. 2 shows a section along line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-section through a vacuum flask having a stopper according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a partial section through the upper portion of the vacuum flask of FIG. 3 during pouring.

In the Figures a closure stopper generally designated by the numeral 1 comprises a hollow body having a base portion 2 and a sealing surface in the form of a conical portion 3 adjoining the base portion. The conical portion merges into two annular ridges 4, 5 lying closely adjacent one another and onto which ridges adjoins a cylindrical portion 6 whichflares into a radially outwardly extending concave portion 7, a rim 8 and head 9. The base 2, conical portion 3, ridges 4 and 5 and the cylindrical portion 6'together' constitute a bung portion of the stopper.

operate with the conical portion 3 of the stopper 1. The vacuum container 16 is held between the base plate 18 and the annular flange 28, the resilience of the sleeve 17 and of the annular sealing member 30 serving to retain the container whilst providin g protection against knocks. The degree of resilient constraint exercised is adjusted by means of the screw thread engagement between the cylindrical base portion 19 and the jacket 20.

For the stopper to act as a fluid tight seal for the flask during transport, the stopper is screwed into the container until the conical portion 3 is sealingly engaged against the conical surface 32 in the neck 29 of the vacuum container 16. The stopper is screwed in until the annular ridge 4 engages the inside of the neck portion 29 at the upper rim surface of the vacuum container, whereby the container is gently urged downwardly as the stopper is tightened the resilient sleeve 17 and optionally the annular seal 30 also, taking up this slight displacement. On further tightening of the stopper 1 the annular ridge 5 engages the inner edge of the annular flange 28 thereby acting as a restraint to excessive further tightening, which might damage the container 16.

The stopper is shown in such a screwed-in, closed position in FIG. 3 forming a fluid tight seal to the flask. Above the stopper is shown a cup 33 engaging the portion 23 by a snap mounting 34 and adjoining the flange 21 of the jacket 20.

FIG. 4 shows the flask and stopper of FIG. 3 in a configuration suitable for a decanting a small quantity of liquid. The stopper is unscrewed from its FIG. 3 configuration so that the two chamfered surfaces 14 and 27 on the ring body 12 and the cylindrical portion 25 respectively form mutually continuous portions of a conical surface as is shown in FIG. 4. The conical portion 3 has moved upwardly to disengage from the conical inner surface 32 of the vacuum container 16. As a result of tilting, the liquid contained in the flask will flow out between the conical portion 3 of the stopper and the inner surface 32 of the vacuum container neck 29, over the seal 30, and through the hollow spaces formed between the portions 4, 5, 6 and inner portion of the cylindrical member 25. The liquid then pours through the openings between the cross-bars l 1 over the ring body 12 and over the surfaces l4 and 27, the outer edge of the chamfered surface 27 becoming the pouring lip. In this decanting configuration the upper part of the stopper having the surface 7 and 8 is suitably spaced from the outer edgeof the surface 27 so that free flow of the liquid is made possible. The surfaces 7 and 8 are so shaped that the liquid flows quietly when poured more boldly than is shown in FIG. 4. Simultaneously with the escape of liquid, air flows into the vacuum container 16 through those of the openings 15 which in the tilted position are uppermost between the conical portion 3 and the inner surface 32. It can be seen that a particularly simple and advantageous construction is realised by the present embodiment of the invention. The closure stopper is preferably made of resilient plastics, so that the conical portion3 can be brought into soft sealing contact with the conical surface 32, This also applies to the cross-bars since by virtue of a soft resilient connection between the ring body 12 and the body of the stoppper, any imperfections in the construction may be compensated for thus allowing the conical portions 3 and 32 to engage intimately when the stopper is tightened without subjecting the vacuum container 16 to harmful'stresses.

The closure stopper according to the invention may optionally be so designed that when the stopper is sealingly screwed down the portion 8 sealingly adjoins the outer rim of the obliquely chamfered surface 27. It is furthermore possible to attach to the portion a slidable sheath for covering the gap between it and the cup 33. It is also of advantage to construct the upper portion of the stopper so that a lip-like seal with expansion chamber can be formed to co-operate with the chamfered surface 27. Suitably the portion 3 may have any shape suitable for effectively sealing adherence to the surface 32, just as the latter may also be of a different shape. Thus, for example, either or both of the portion 3 and surface 32 may be cylindric or annular. The present invention is not limited to vacuum flasks. Within the scope of the invention there is also conceivable a design wherein the ring body 12 may, in another embodiment of stopper have a smooth cylindrical surface for co-operation with a correspondingly executed cylindrical surface disposed on the container or flask for retaining the stopper in closed position, such as for example a clamping bracket.

Instead of the threads 13 and 26 shown in the Figures, the stopper may be affixable to a flask or container by means of partial threads, bayonet closure elements or any other suitable means. A design may suitably also be used wherein the ring body 12 has straight and not chamfered edges.

I claim:

l. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having:

a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface;

. b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion in ,the neck of a container, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another;

c. said bung portion including a conical portion tapering inwardly away from said locating means to define said sealing surface and a substantiallycylindrical'portion adjacent said conical portion; and

d. a head portion and a concave outward facing connecting portion, connecting said head portion to said substantially cylindrical portion of said bung portion.

2. A closure stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locating means includes a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion.

3. The combination of:

a. a vacuum flask; and I b. a stopper as claimed in claim 1, said flask having an outer jacket with a neck portion and said neck portion having an inner surface defining means cooperable with the locating means on said bung portion for adjustably locating the bung portion of said stopper in said neck portion.

4. The combination of:

a. a vacuum'flask; and

b. a stopper as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said flask includes sealing surface means cooperable with the sealing surface of said bung portion and an outer jacket having a neck portion, and

a radially inwardly extending rim formed on said neck portion, said rim having an inner edge which defines an orifice of substantially the same cross sectional dimensions as the sealing surface means of the flask, for engaging therewith.

5. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having:

a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface and b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of a container, saidlocating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another, said locating means including a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion, said ring portion supporting means comprising a plurality of resilient cross-bars extending between said ring portion and said bung portion.

6. A closure stopper as claimed in claim 5 wherein said bung portion includes a conical portion tapering inwardly away from said locating means to define said sealing surface and a substantially cylindrical portion adjacent said conical portion.

7. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having:

a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface and b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion the neck of a container, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another, said locating means including a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion, said ring portion including an outward facing surface and being integrally moulded with said bung portion, and said locating means further including an external thread moulded on said outward facing surface of said ring portion. 8. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having:

said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion, said ring portion having a radially inner face and two axially opposite sides and chamfer means adjoining said radially inner face and at least one of said axially opposite sides.

9. The combination of:

a. a vacuum flask having an outer jacket with a neck portion, said neck portion having (i) an end axially outward of said flask (ii) a radially inner face of said end, (iii) an axially outwardly facing surface,

, and (iv) a further surface chamfered with respect to said radially inner face and interconnecting said radially inner face and said axially outwardly facing surface; and

b. a stopper for said flask, said stopper having (i) a bung portion defining a sealing surface, and (ii) means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of said flask, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another. 

1. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having: a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface; b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of a container, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another; c. said bung portion including a conical portion tapering inwardly away from said locating meAns to define said sealing surface and a substantially cylindrical portion adjacent said conical portion; and d. a head portion and a concave outward facing connecting portion, connecting said head portion to said substantially cylindrical portion of said bung portion.
 2. A closure stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locating means includes a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion.
 3. The combination of: a. a vacuum flask; and b. a stopper as claimed in claim 1, said flask having an outer jacket with a neck portion and said neck portion having an inner surface defining means co-operable with the locating means on said bung portion for adjustably locating the bung portion of said stopper in said neck portion.
 4. The combination of: a. a vacuum flask; and b. a stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein said flask includes sealing surface means co-operable with the sealing surface of said bung portion and an outer jacket having a neck portion, and a radially inwardly extending rim formed on said neck portion, said rim having an inner edge which defines an orifice of substantially the same cross sectional dimensions as the sealing surface means of the flask, for engaging therewith.
 5. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having: a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface and b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of a container, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another, said locating means including a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion, said ring portion supporting means comprising a plurality of resilient cross-bars extending between said ring portion and said bung portion.
 6. A closure stopper as claimed in claim 5 wherein said bung portion includes a conical portion tapering inwardly away from said locating means to define said sealing surface and a substantially cylindrical portion adjacent said conical portion.
 7. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having: a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface and b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of a container, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another, said locating means including a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion, said ring portion including an outward facing surface and being integrally moulded with said bung portion, and said locating means further including an external thread moulded on said outward facing surface of said ring portion.
 8. A closure stopper for a container, such stopper having: a. a bung portion defining a sealing surface and b. means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of a container, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another, said locating means including a ring portion and means supporting said ring portion radially outwardly spaced from said bung portion to define said passage means between the bung portion and the ring portion, said ring portion having a radially inner face and two axially opposite sides and chamfer means adjoining said radially inner face and at least one of said axially opposite sides.
 9. The combination of: a. a vacuum flask having an outer jacket with a neck portion, said neck portion having (i) an end axially outward of said flask (ii) a radially inner face of said end, (iii) an axially outwardly facing surface, and (iv) a further surface chamfered with respect to said radially inner face and interconnecting said radially inner face and said axially outwardly facing surface; and b. a stopper for said flask, said stopper having (i) a bung portion defining a sealing surface, and (ii) means for adjustably locating said bung portion in the neck of said flask, said locating means having axially opposite sides, and passage means communicating said axially opposite sides with one another. 